Nairobi: The government is committed to ensuring that national examinations are not a high-stakes game under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) being rolled out. Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Director Prof Charles Ong'ondo emphasized that high-stakes examinations fuel cheating and irregularities. He urged teachers, school managers, candidates, and all other education stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of national exams.
According to Kenya News Agency, Prof. Ong'ondo, speaking on Monday in Homa Bay town during the supervision of exam paper distribution, stressed that exams should not be considered a matter of life and death for learners. Notably, he announced a significant shift in the examination protocol by stating that, for the first time, police officers will not be present inside examination centers. They will merely escort exams but will not enter the institutions to oversee the exercise.
Prof. Ong'ondo explained to the press that this new approach of eliminating the presence of security officers aims to enhance trust levels among teachers. However, he noted that the upcoming Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education would continue to be manned by police officers for security reasons. The official also mentioned that this year's examination containers are secured with two padlocks, with Deputy County Commissioners and Sub County Directors of Education holding keys for one padlock each.
Homa Bay County Commissioner Ronald Muiwawi assured that adequate security measures are in place for the national exams. He urged both teachers and learners to avoid cheating, emphasizing the importance of integrity and trust in passing knowledge correctly to children.
Homa Bay County Director of Education Eunice Khaemba reported that the county registered 39,436 candidates for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, while the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment had 36,496 candidates. 'We have several exam containers, including one on Mfangano Island, and we do not expect to witness any challenges during the exam period,' she stated.